


A Pumpkin Of Their Own

by midnighhts



Series: Fictober 2017 [5]
Category: Ugly Betty
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fictober 2017, Gen, M/M, Season/Series 02, fashionable halloween decorations??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 08:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12295065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnighhts/pseuds/midnighhts
Summary: On the far corner of his desk, stuffed behind the pens and a bottle of cologne, there's a little Halloween pumpkin. She picks it up. It's a plush.DAY 4 PROMPT ISDECORATIONS





	A Pumpkin Of Their Own

**Author's Note:**

> this is so self indulgent!!!!!!!!!!!! aaaaaaaaa theres no fandom for this, i know i know, but ive been watching ugly betty with my sister recently and i LOVE CLIFF SM g o d. im writing this bc i just saw spoilers for the season end and i just want happiness so here this is
> 
> dont @ me for this djdjskz
> 
> title is from s2e5 when they meet lol
> 
> this is super late but shhhhh

It takes three whole minutes to get from Daniel's office to Wilhelmina’s Satanic Abode -- that is if Amanda, Henry or Christina don't stop her in the middle of the floor and drag her off. While she may love most of them to bits, she really  _ doesn't need that right now _ since Daniel is in another tiff with Alexis and/or Wilhelmina, Mode is in its own version of a Civil War, Justin has stolen  _ another _ Prada bag from the Closet (and she doesn't even know which it is), and the Creative Director has her running around for errands. Yeah, no, her week isn't turning out so great after all.

She speeds through the halls, nearly knocking into models and other sleep-deprived assistants on her way around. She yells “Sorry,” as she rushes by, but she can't stop to actually help them up like she usually does. There are many, many people bringing racks and racks of Robanne to and fro for the next photoshoot, and they only barely miss her as it passes by her.

She passes by Amanda's desk, but she's gone. It's a sign from God.

She also manages to speed past the elevators, which is particularly busy around this time because the great Mode divide has people scampering about. Good to see everyone working hard.

She sidesteps a quarrel between two models, and finally finds herself in Wilhelmina’s lair itself. The pristine torture room full of fashion secrets. . . God, she needs to watch stop watching all those shows with Dad and Justin.

Surprisingly Marc is at his desk. He doesn't even glance away from his computer when Betty steps into the office. “Go away.”

“I need Wilhelmina to sign this,” she says. She steps up to his desk, and places the manila folder on the table. She presses down the creases.

Marc only keeps typing.

Betty shrugs. “So where is she?”

“In a meeting.” Click, clickclick. “Now, shoo.”

“Marc,” she says, exasperated.

He manages to tear his eyes away from the screen long enough to actually glance at her. He frowns. “Pink? In fall? Really?”

Betty frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. The kitty on the front makes a small meowing squeak.

Marc goes back to typing.

“What are you even doing?” she asks. She leans over to peek, but with the grace and agility of someone on a martial arts movie, Marc jumps to his feet, and stop her with his hand on her shoulder. His smile isn't friendly.

“Work,” he replies with a saccharine smile.

Betty rolls her eyes. She takes the hint, and goes back. The movement, though, catches something in her peripheral.

“Oh, what's this?” she says just as cheerily. On the far corner of his desk, stuffed behind the pens and a bottle of cologne, there's a little Halloween pumpkin. She picks it up. It's a plush.

Marc is supersonic once again, his chair clattering. He grabs her wrist in a vice grip -- or at least the vice grip of someone whose grip is reserved for Starbucks and cat fights. . .so yeah, pretty damn strong.

“Betty,” he nearly purrs. A chill runs down her spine. “Wilhelmina is in a meeting, so I can assure you she's not here. Now, shoo.”

Betty grew up in Queens; she knows what to do: book it.

There's a folder on her desk when she returns from lunch.  _ W. Slater _ , it says on the dotted lines.

The next day, after Daniel quickly implodes in his office over the brewing Mode Mutiny, the employees are once again sent into overdrive. Overdrive 2.0. Maximum overdrive. Everyone was working twice as hard; now they're working four times as hard.

That means Betty is once again navigating the war-torn lands of the Creative Department. She has another folder again, now filled with half-naked Autumn shots. She would've shoved this responsibility onto Amanda since she clearly likes to feel useful for something (“I'm Fey Sommers’ daughter!” and all), but Amanda's elbow-deep in her own problems and might eat the shots. This is for the eight page spread; this is just  _ a little  _ important.

Marc is inside Wilhelmina's office when she arrives.

There's a second Halloween plush on his desk, this time a skeleton. How cute. It clearly isn't something Marc buys for himself -- and it's clearly not from his family, especially after their fake dating fiasco a few months ago.

Marc steps out into the hallway before Betty can jump back in time. She bangs her leg on the desk. She winces.

Marc only looks amused. “Oh, it really is Halloween today.”

“Ha-ha,” she says dryly. She rubs a hand over her leg as Marc settles behind his desk. “These are from the Sexy Fall shoot.”

“Ooh, does it have any cute boys?”

Betty rolls her eyes. “Please get it to Wilhelmina.”

Marc's phone lights up, and as usual favours to give his attention to the flip phone instead of answering her. He begins to type away, fingers clicking on keys so quickly it becomes a blur of colours.

Betty's eyes widen at the speed and the casualness of it all. . .then she starts to see it. A smile tugging at the edges of his lips, soft and fond while still being wholly Marc-like.

“Who is that?” she asks, singsong with a smile of her own.

Without even looking at her, he waves her away. “No one.” He even chuckles at whatever he's doing on his phone.

He's got it hard. Betty doesn't say anything about it, though.

“What's his name?”

He sounds distinctly more distracted. “None of your business. . .”

“Is he cute?”

“Totally.”

“Aha!” Betty yells, startling herself as well in the process. It shocks Marc so much that his phone clatters onto his table. “Secret gay tryst!”

Marc picks his phone back up, and closes it. “Betty, you don't know what you're talking about.”

His voice wavers the way it does when he's unsure or fearful. He sounds like he's both. He grabs her by the shoulders, and pushes her down. She sits on the chair across his desk, and when she's hidden enough, he looks over his shoulder at Wilhelmina's office. Oh, right.

Betty can't help but gush, though. “Is he the one who gave you those?” she asks in a conspiratorial whisper. She points at the goofy looking pumpkin, and the anatomically-incorrect skeleton (though it's understandably difficult to show all 206 bones on such a small toy).

“If you say a word,” Marc says, voice low like a threat even though he sounds like he's about to pass out, “I will go to your house, and teach Justin all about the secret entrances to the Closet.”

Betty gasps. “You wouldn't!”

“I'm glad we understand each other, then.” Marc grins. “It would be a shame if you had a 2,500$ handbag in your house again.”

As soon as Marc releases her, she runs. She calls Justin before she even reaches her desk.

“If Marc tells you anything,” she nearly shouts into her phone - which isn't weird considering everyone else is, “don't listen to him, okay? Bye. I'll try to come home early tonight. Love you.”

The next morning, Betty sneaks off to Marc's office. Daniel is in a meeting until twelve with Alexis, and Betty is already done sorting out reservations. A little fun wouldn't hurt.

She holds her breath as her ears strain to catch bits of conversation in there. She saw a figure when she peeked, but she didn't see much.

“Why are you crouching next to Wilhelmina's office?”

Betty nearly jumps out of her skin. She grabs Amanda's hand, and pulls her back. “I'm hiding! Marc’s boyfriend is in there.”

There's something that changes in Amanda's face, but she just looks the same scheming way as she usually does.

Betty goes back, and tries to peek again. She leans, leans, leeeeaaaans--

Oof! She is a heap of awkward limbs and nearly crushed glasses. She pushes her glasses back up correctly, and sees two pairs of eyes watching her. She smiles, polite and niceties. Marc has a look of both murder and suicide. His boyfriend looks. . . doesn't look like what she expected.

She gives him a thumbs up, and crawls back behind. Amanda is laughing at her with pursed lips, and Betty's cheeks flush.

“Just--” Betty tries, but she's too fidgety now. “Just tell me how it goes after.”

“Of course,” Amanda says. She won't.

Betty stalks off.

She doesn't hear the fight that comes after.

**Author's Note:**

> wow that got angsty towards the end dndnkskd basically that was the whole "amanda this is cliff.... my friend" shebang, but yknow Canon Divergence


End file.
